A different kind of fun By Diana Smyth

Heres a brainteaser for you (figure out what the 2 initials stand for): 26 = L of A Too easy for you? Try this one: 13 = S on the A F. Games like these, often called logic games, critical thinking puzzles, or linguistic equations can be an entertaining way to challenge your mind, or, for some, they can prove to be incredibly frustrating. Though these puzzles do provide exercise for your brain (which is just as important as exercising your body), do they actually enhance ones critical thinking skill? Overwhelmingly, the answer is no. As David Uttal, a psychologist at Northwestern University, and Barry Gordon, a cognitive neurologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine explain, it is a simplistic assumption to think that doing brain teasers improves overall cognitive ability - the brain is specialized and different kinds of tasks are done in different ways (Powledge). So basically, the skills you learn while doing a math related brainteaser cannot directly help you in statistics class. The good news is that, even though the games do not directly improve your critical thinking skill, these types of puzzles have many other benefits, helping to develop skills which are valuable assets in life. Puzzles and logic games help to develop thinking skills-how you process and question information that is given to you (Slona and Des MacHale). Because the puzzles often have either a simple or complex way of arriving at the same answer, looking for the simple, easy to find answer is a skill that can be quickly transferred over to the business world. Author Michael A. Dispezio further explains that these logic games can help one develop skills in observation, prediction, generalization, reasoning by assumption, comparing/contrasting, sequencing, and relating the parts to the whole. These are all important skills that are in high demand in any life situation.

Beyond all of the skills that can be developed through these games, they can be a lot of fun and can offer a great break from the problems we face in everyday life. The attractive thing about these puzzles is that they have a single unique and certain solution with no unknown negative side effects, which all of our real life problems seem to have. Morgan Worthy, professor at Georgia State University, calls the feelings of pleasure and satisfaction one gets when they solve a puzzle the A-ha effect (Powledge). So all in all, taking a break from worrying about finding a job or passing that exam by doing one of these puzzles can have many benefits. Doing crossword puzzles may also have positive long-term benefits. A study of more than 200 crossword puzzlers ages 50 to 75, found that puzzle fans do indeed have higher levels of cognitive performance than others. Additionally, people who pursued lots of leisure-time activities -- including playing games and working puzzles were much less likely to develop Alzheimers disease than people who didnt. So what kinds of logic games are out there for you to strain your brain on? There are all different types, with the most common being crossword puzzles and cryptograms - decipherable sentences written in code. Additionally, there are math and word games, focused on each skill, lateral thinking exercises, which teach you to think along different lines then you might be used to, and linguistic equations (shown above). If you are interested in trying your hand at some more sample logic games, try www.puzzlersrest.com. Oh, and by the way, the answers to the questions in the Potty Mouth blurb and at the beginning of this article are:
2,

Late Late = Too little, too late

9 L of a C = 9 Lives of a Cat 26 = Letters of the Alphabet 13 = Stripes on the American Flag.

Dispezio, Michael. Critical Thinking Puzzles. Mandel, Muriel. Fantastic Book of Logic Puzzles. Payne, Trip. 365 mind challenging cryptograms Powledge, Tabitha. How to improve your brain. The Washington Post 10 April 2001, T12. Slona, Paul and Mac Hale, Des. Tricky Lateral Thinking Puzzles